How WhatsApp clue, Mygate trail help CBI crack NEET paper leak

The CBI investigation into the NEET-UG paper leak began with a seemingly innocent WhatsApp message from a concerned parent. This message led investigators on a trail of clues that eventually helped them uncover the individuals involved in the leak. The Mygate access control app logs were a significant piece of evidence, confirming the presence of students at the apartment of the arrested professor, PV Kulkarni. These logs were verified by matching mobile logs, which corroborated their location.

Kulkarni, a chemistry professor, was hired by the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an expert for the NEET-UG 2026 exam. However, unbeknownst to NTA, he shared questions with students who paid for "special classes" in his apartment just before the exam. This act of betrayal undermined the measures that NTA had put in place to prevent vulnerabilities in the logistics chain.

The leaked question papers were traced back to Kulkarni and other accused paper setters, who would memorize the questions at NTA's office, note them down at a hotel, and then pass them on to others. Kulkarni's phone contained pre-exam leaked papers, contacts with candidates, parents, and other co-accused individuals. The seized phone also held nine images of the chemistry question paper and answer slips that matched the actual NEET-UG papers.

In addition to Kulkarni, other accused individuals, such as Manisha Havaldar, Tejas Shah, and others, were involved in the leak. Havaldar, a member of the physics panel at NTA, leaked the physics questions to a candidate's mother for 25,000 rupees. Shah, a physics faculty member and chief operating officer of Abhang Prabhu Medical Academy, dictated the leaked questions to Tejas Shah, who then circulated them further.

The leak extended beyond Maharashtra, with sets of leaked papers transported to Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. The accused family there was carrying printed material covering the entire exam syllabus. The leaked papers reached students in various ways, including through a coaching center, Motegaonkar, and hostel students.

On the day of the NEET-UG exam, May 3, students were filmed claiming that the predicted questions by Motegaonkar had appeared in the test. The "RCC MOCK test question paper" was found to be the leaked question paper. The CBI investigation ultimately led to the identification of the question setters and the individuals who facilitated the leak, bringing an end to this deceitful scheme.